50 license plate readers to be installed in Plano

Plano - In a move to enhance public safety, the Plano Police Department has confirmed the adoption of the controversial license plate reader cameras, a tool they firmly believe is key in recovering stolen vehicles and finding abducted children, Dallas Metro News reported.

The Plano City Council approved the decision to acquire 40 units of the L5Q model and 10 of the L6Q Motorola's deployable license plate reader cameras during a meeting held on May 22. These cameras come with a five-year service guarantee. The annual investment for this technology totals $100,000, culminating in an overall expenditure of $500,000 over a span of five years under an existing contract.

Cities such as Dallas and Fort Worth in Texas have previously implemented similar technologies, sparking discussions about potential privacy violations. Nonetheless, representatives of Plano law enforcement maintain their stance on the cameras' crucial role in ensuring public safety.

“The Plano Police Department has been utilizing ALPR (automated license plate recognition) cameras mounted on vehicles for over a decade,” Plano police lieutenant Glenn Cavin told The Dallas Morning News. “They have since led directly to the recovery of stolen vehicles and the apprehension of many wanted suspects.”

Motorola Solutions' L6Q reader is touted for its "advanced license plate recognition (LPR) capabilities and user-friendly installation process," as per the company website. Meanwhile, the L5Q model allows law enforcement to "access instant alerts, carry out extensive searches, and utilize cutting-edge analytics."

In a memo sent to the City Council, the police department acknowledged certain limitations associated with these vehicle-mounted systems. Data collection largely relies on the patrol routes of first responder vehicles, and the capture of suspect vehicles can be challenging when the targeted vehicle is traveling in the opposite direction.

Plano police plans to install them on different locations

Calvin recently revealed intentions to roll out innovative surveillance technology, tactically placed along key traffic arteries and business parking areas. These sites, determined by crime data specialists, have purportedly witnessed a higher frequency of illegal activities.

The newly established surveillance tools aim to recognize vehicles tagged in state or local databases due to their link with criminal activities, encompassing those reported as stolen. With a successful detection, the system is designed to immediately trigger warnings to all active-duty law enforcement personnel, investigators, and auxiliary staff, thus facilitating a prompt and coordinated action against rising criminal incidents.

This information was extracted from a City Council memorandum, although it lacked precise data. However, it did recall an episode where Plano's police department effectively employed the technology to capture culprits.

As a component of the ongoing probe, a mobile License Plate Reader (LPR) camera, provided by Motorola, was stationed near a public storage facility, a notorious hub for trailer thefts. The memo detailed how, within mere hours of the camera's installation, two men were noticed driving their pickup into the site and subsequently leaving with a trailer that wasn't theirs. Detectives swiftly accessed the visual data gathered by the mobile LPR camera, accelerating the identification process of the culprits.

However, this technology's effectiveness has been scrutinized by certain research bodies. A 2021 study by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute indicated that cameras linked to obsolete databases, colloquially known as 'hot lists', have produced false positive alerts. The study further underscored that out-of-state registered plates have also generated false positives, thereby drawing attention to some of the potential obstacles posed by this technology.

Plano residents are concerned of license plate readers misuse and privacy

The possibility of abuse also hovers around this cutting-edge technology.

The introduction of these advanced cameras has sparked a heated discourse around privacy issues. A section of commentators has raised cautionary flags, suggesting that the authority granted to law enforcement agencies via these devices could potentially be manipulated to facilitate sweeping surveillance. Detractors posit this could ultimately lead to the police having the ability to track every movement of any person at any given moment, presenting potential hazards to the values of personal privacy and civil liberties.

Sources: Dallas Metro News, Dallas Morning News, Plano Police Department